In Which a Birthday Wish Was Granted Stangely
by i'masian-aru
Summary: (I'm really bad at summeries... Sorry.) Isabel (OC) had a birthday wish. That was granted almost instantly. In a strange way. That might cause more trouble (frustiation) than life provided three days ago. T just in case.
1. Chapter 1: Why This Happened

**A/N -Just a small idea that's been on my mind for some time now…And it's not [Alice] writing. New person. Actually, I'm not sure if she remembers this account… Meh. So… Might be a new style (not that I've ever seen a difference…) I've got the idea by reading a similarly plotted idea (Lost in Reality) by Frogata. I have no intention of copying it, though I suppose this chapter is kinds-not-really similar… sorry.**

My name is Isabel. Not Isabella, Not Ib, the 'nickname' Mariette gave me, after playing this game of the same title. Though, admittedly, it was quite an interesting game. Now, waking up on my 13th birthday, I wasn't too happy. Yesterday we ran out of ice cream, and it doesn't feel right. Just like Rangers must have coffee, I must have ice cream. Rangers, as in Rangers Apprentice, the book Mariette got me last birthday. The book was surprisingly interesting; though I suppose I was a bit reluctant to read it at first, given the rather strange title for book one.

Walking down the stairs, after changing into the prepared T-shirt with "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" written on it, I went to the kitchen. A mixture of smells hit me- bacon, eggs, toasted bread, and butter. Yum. Hopefully, mom should buy some ice cream later on in the day… -sigh- We could only hope…

Now with a newly full stomach, I went upstairs, back to my room. If I'm going to attend my own party, I better finish all my school work first. Since I finished all my writing yesterday, I suppose I need to do math now… Darn. I personally hate… no, _detest_ math. But at least I'm not horrible at it… but at least I'll be finishing my summer homework relatively soon. Which is rather preferred, if you want to do something other than homework for the entire break.

Looking around, I noted that my brother neglected to unstring my bow (Christmas) after trying to shoot at the makeshift target thing in the yard. Sadly, both of ours accuracy is sadly lacking. At least I could hit the target…Walking over, somewhat absentmindedly, I unstrung the bow and leaned it against the wall, wrapping the string around so I know where it is. Then I turned back to my home work sitting on the desk.

…

Let's skip this rather uneventful period of a few (2) hours, should we?

3x-8=y… and 4y+2x=13… -scribble scribble…-

"FINISHED!" I semi-yelled as I finished the last question. I stood up, walked over to the bed, and flopped right down. I might as well think I deserved it, too. Through the hours of work and mini procrastination, I managed to finish it all, much to my own surprise. And of course, at that exact moment, my mom just had to call me downstairs. Damn… Why can't I just have a rest?

"Isabel! Mariette's here!" I sure perked up a bit at this. On contrary to popular beliefs, she actually takes school quite seriously, probably how we became friends in the first place. She should have brought her homework, I want to see if I got this question right (question 45).

Also on contrary to popular beliefs, I could still stay quiet-ish even in a hurry. Got the skills when I used to steal mid-night snacks. Admittedly, I still sometimes do. Just don't tell my mom that, please.

So walking down the stairs, I looked around. I didn't see her, so she's probably still by the door. And of course, she wasn't.

"BOO! –giggle- You look so funny when you jump!" I could tell that wasn't a complement. So I deadpanned at her. As usual. Great. "So… You're early." I have been told many times that starting a conversation is a polite thing to do. Sadly, I was never good at it.

"Yup! Of course I am! Hey, did you finish your homework?" At least she caught on. "Yeah, I did. Did you bring yours?" And she did. Good.

So, trudging up the stairs (again) we went to my room. I opened my drawer and pulled out my homework. It was messy. At least only the scratch work was messy.

I forgot when it was that we first started to check our homework, but it's been done many times now. We've even worked out a system to let us do it in the quickest and most efficient way (we think) possible. And it's proved beneficial. Kinda.

It consisted of mainly one person saying what they got, and the other agreeing or not. If we have a conflicting answer, we write it down and look at it later. And since both of us have a normal 90% chance of getting it right, it goes by fast. Thankfully.

Turns out I did get question 45 right, though she got it wrong.

I looked at the clock-11:35. Still some time. If my memory didn't fail me, I think the plan was to drive over to the park, picking up Danielle and her brother. Strangely, the twins were named Danielle and Daniel. Point to the parents.

Oh, and there were Elizabeth, Shannon, and the Gilan person. Words couldn't describe his face when he discovered that he was a character from a book. But to sum it up, it was hilarious. Though I must say they act quite similar to each other. Reminds me of this year when everyone named Anthony was on this teacher's bad side.

Oh. If you don't mind,

Short introduction.

Danielle-the (overly) cheerful girl… and is minimal in height.

Mariette-the one who fan-girl-squeals over the strangest things, though not as loud as others.

Daniel-the guy who always start the conversations. Though his subjects of interest are… rather weird.

Elizabeth-the loner-ish person who always carries chocolate. She hates the dentist.

Shannon-your average otaku.

Gilan-the funny guy who doesn't worry over anything. I think.

So… yeah.

We (finally) arrived at the park. It was quite a boring drive here, taking an hour or so in total. Everyone invited came, and I'm quite surprised we managed. It took two cars, so I guess that's how.

Anyway, here we are, sitting and eating cookies on a group of benches we found. The cookies were good, being chocolate chip; the only one Shannon had materials for. They were cold now, though. My mom sat little ways to the left, on a table with all the adults. There was lemonade, coke, and water. I decided to help myself to a cup of chilled water.

Ku… Elizabeth has her book with her again... It is book ten? Lucky. I don't have that. All I have is up to book 5. Phooey. But then, I'm not as dedicated as she is.

So I pulled out a book too. Logic.

The party, as it must be said, was a good one. As usual, the cake came last. So before that, we played 'games', ran around like mentally insane people, and crashed into trees, and generally scaring all other residents of the park. Always a good plan.

Then there was the cake. It was chocolate, shaped like an Oreo (yay) with vanilla ice cream filling. Needless to say, it was good. Very good. They seemed to have been able to fit thirteen candles on it, somehow.

Now when it came to wish, the sun was already setting. I slapped a mosquito.

"Hurry up Isabel! The sun's setting."

"I know that, you idiot."

"Ah. Goody!"

You see how cheerful Danielle is? Inhuman.

So after purposely taking a while to annoy her, I made a wish. What else could it be, besides something to break the monotony every-day life? So indeed that I said.

_Just get me something to make life more …interesting and I'll be fine…_

At home now, I laid on the bed, trying to fall asleep.

And failed.

I tossed and turned, much to my displeasure. I don't want to wake up _too_ late tomorrow… Shannon left her dog with me for vacation, and I'm pretty sure it's still not (properly) potty trained.

Ah… maybe we should just leave it outside…

And that was the thought I fell asleep with.

The next morning, I woke to the sound of a horse.

**A/N-Anyone wants to Beta this? I'll probably not update much on this, though. All characters based on friends with similar names, as a trivial little fact. **

… **Review? First story. Cyber cookie if you do! (Somehow…) Constructive criticism welcome.**


	2. Chapter 2: Greetings, my friend(s)!

**A/N- So peoples! Who likes the wait? My good friend finally convinced me to get off my lazy ass and start writing again. Even so, it took days… So, as a fellow reviewer (Savannah Silverstone) told me, I'll go get rid of a few confusions. Hopefully. **

**First, this was a joint account. Until my other friend forgot about it, and my other-other friend doesn't feel like writing. So, it's currently mine. :D**

**Second, I have a real friend named Gilan. Too good a chance to miss, so I'll keep him there as a normal, not universe-traveling human. My cat is named Yarrow. XD**

**Also… betas have something to do with the DocX thing, right? I have a volunteer, but honestly don't have any idea what we're supposed to do. –is shot- So… yeah. Oh! I don't owe Ranger's Apprentice. Otherwise, this won't be a **_**fan**_**fiction. Sorry for long author's note.**

_Neigh…_

Hmmmnnn…

_Snort…_

What's with the noise…? Upon thinking this, I sat up. I was awake now, and I didn't see a point in lying there any longer. It's not as if I were to go back asleep, now that my curiosity's aroused. Looking though the gap between the windows, I judged that it was still dark. A quick look to the clock confirmed it.

2:37?! I've never heard horses this early! Sure, there's an open field nearby, but it's not close enough to hear things going on, though I've heard the people riding the horses there. But two in the morning?! Who wakes up this early?

_You, apparently._

I swung a look around the room. I saw Shannon's dog. I glared at it, searching for its name. It seems as if I forgot to leave it outside. Ah! I remember! The shiba was called Yarrow! Well, I continued glaring at her.

_Done looking? _

I gave a little start of surprise. It _was_ the dog, after all. Already, I was wondering how Shannon managed to live with this beast. Sometimes, I'm glad me only pets are the calm, patient koi in the pond outside. They never talked rudely to you when you are the one who feeds them. That is, if they ever talk at all. I drew a breath to answer, but was cut off by Yarrow.

_If you're awake, might as well take me outside. And a FYI, I _am_ potty trained. That's why you bed's still dry and cozy._

I sighed. Although it's just a dog, it seems to deem itself in charge of my life. Hope it's wrong. I _definitely_ hope it's wrong.

Pushing the blankets off, I yelped a little. It was surprisingly cold outside the blankets. Reluctantly, I pulled myself out of the comforting heap of soft, fluffy, cloth. Well, cloth covering the blanket.

It seems my eyes were already used to the darkness, as I manage to find some socks without cracking my head against the wall. I was grateful for that. I slowly closed the drawer, wincing at the slow, high-pitched squeaking of the runway thingy. Then I dug through the closet, and found a reasonably thick-ish jacket. I pulled it over my pajamas.

All the while, I couldn't help wondering about the horse. Maybe the owner decided that they should go early? (_Very_ early)And then the horse might have got a pebble stuck in the shoe or something, resulting in them having to stop in front of what happened to be my house. Yes, that was semi-logical. More so than someone purposely making noises to annoy me.

I lead Yarrow down the stairs, sneaking past the master bedroom. Sadly, there were no carpets in the hallway. The dog's nails clicked on the cold, wooden floor. Upon reaching the living room, I called it to a halt. She walked too fast. Coming level to her, I dragged her to the left.

I stood in front of the glass panel sliding door, eyes intent on the task of finding the right key. I slid it in, turned it, and heard a click.

"Come on, Yarrow," I said. She ran into the cold, chilly winter air. At least it's not snowing. Yet.

"GAHHH!" My head snapped up. I looked around in the lawn, but saw nothing. Then I swung my gaze to the left, and saw an orange bundle of fur, posed in a rather threatening position, growling at… a black and white dog. And even more to the left, there were two horses. And two bushes that I don't remember planting. Normally. I would've wondered at the current situation. But Shannon trusted me with Yarrow and I can't let her get hurt.

"Yarrow! Come back!" I commanded. Instantly, she darted back to my heels and sat down.

Looking meaningfully at the two suspicious bushes, I asked, "Who's there?"

No answer. "I see the newly placed bushes! If you don't want me to call the government for trespassing, show yourself!" I hope I sounded braver that I felt. I was quite sure that those people could hear the sound of my heart. Not sure if it's a good thing.

Finally, two figures rose from their crouched positions. A deep, gruff voice called out, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

I stared at them. Even when I knew where they were, they still seemed to be shimmering were they stood. Wherever they bought those cloak things, I need to get one. I bet Gilan's dad would be more than enthusiastic to get one. He was a more than an avid hunter, after all.

"I think it is _I_ who should be asking the questions. After all, you are the ones who in my yard ion the night." I could see them share a glance. Then they answered.

"Halt Arratay and Will Barton."

I frowned a little at this. Are they serious? Feigning book characters? Surly they don't expect me to believe they're rangers. Araluen never even existed! Still, I didn't expect them to answer so quickly. The dog moved to stand by the two… humans. Seeing so, I made up my mind.

"Come Yarrow," I called, and she heeled back from where she was sharing greetings with the other dog.

"Stay out of trouble," I told the other two intruders. I stuck my head back in and closed the door.

"Isabel!" My mom called me awake. Thank god it was winter break. And there was still roughly two weeks left. After leaving the two men outside, I had went back inside and fell asleep again.

"What?" I answered, albeit groggily. Though I was sure I already knew the answer.

Yet again my mom's voice cut through the air. "Who are these people in the yard? And do they have… Horses?" She added the last sentence almost to herself. I sighed. The dog looked from where she had settled herself previously. She came up.

_Can we play with the other dog?_

I shrugged. How was I supposed to know? It seems as she took it for a yes, as she then padded to the door, nosing her way out through a crack. I sighed again. I reached to the socks I threw to the floor, putting on my jacket afterwards. I followed Yarrow.

When I reached the kitchen, it seems as my mother had invited the two self-proclaimed rangers inside. Probably having something to do with the fact that she was always friendly to visitors. If they could be called visitors, at least.

They were sitting at the table, nursing steaming cups of coffee. I didn't even _know_ we had such amounts of coffee. There it was, in a big pot of brown liquid. Mom always said caffeine is bad for you. Whatever reason why, I don't know. But she didn't let me question it. Sneaker.

The two guests raised their heads at the sound of my feet shuffling through the floor.

"Ah, it's you." The younger one said. A mop of curly brown hair fell over his face. His companion had messy, salt-pepper gray hair, finally revealed from the cowl of his… cloak. Who wear's cloaks these days?

Down near the ground, it seems as if we got another visitor. Upon closer inspection, the dog was a female border collie, with multicolored eyes. Interesting.

"Where's the horses?" I asked.

My mom glanced at me, "They're still in the back."

I must admit that was glad to hear it. I can't imagine horses, no matter how small, inside our house. Even if they could fit. I think I need to call my friends over… Meh. I'll do that later. Right now, I had more pressing matters to worry about.

Breakfast.

"Mom," I asked, "Can I eat?" She nodded. I went over to the toaster and made myself a sandwich. Yarrow, it seemed, had already went with the other dog to who-knows-where.

I looked at the younger of the two.

"What's your dog's name?" I asked.

He tilted his head and answered. "Ebony. What's yours?"

He seemed nice enough, so I told him. "Yarrow. And she's my friend's,"

Right at the moment, the doorbell rang. Mom hurried to answer it. A minute or so later, Elizabeth burst into the room.

"Isabel! How could you not tell me?"

I stared at her. "What do you mean?" Now she walked over to the couch and dropped onto it. She was panting. Or just really excited. Looking back at the table, she pointed at the newcomers.

"Them," she said.

"Oh, I just found out two in the morning, letting the dog out. You were probably asleep. Now, I just woke up. So I take my mom told you?" I answered, a trifle amused. It wasn't everyday you see the calm, un-pester-able Elizabeth flushed in the cheeks. I gave her a glass of water. I've forgot how obsessed she was with Ranger's Apprentice.

Calm now, she looked at me.

"We've got to tell Gilan,"

**A/N – Review, my lovely readers! XD Constructive criticism welcome. Cyber coffee if you do! I tried my best this time… I'll go fix the first chapter sometime. Later. Very later.**


	3. Chapter 3: A Cellphone is Now Present

**A/N Hello World! Sorry, got kinda grounded for the month because I failed (not really…) a test for math. No internet for a month! D: so I typed it up, but was unable to post it. So I was like Gah and posted it as soon as possible. So… yeah. Sorry. On a brighter note, I will be working on another story of a Ranger's Apprentice and Howl's Moving Castle not-cross-over based story, with Halt as the main protagonist. Lol. (He won't be gender bent, though. Thank god for that…) Sorry for short chapter. Heheheh… I think it's a filler.**

**Long author's note is long.**

The rangers' heads shot up.

"Gilan? What's he doing here?" asked… the guy called Halt. Elizabeth walked over.

"Yeah, Gilan. We have a friend named Gilan. Not your Gilan, though." Elizabeth said. The rangers look slightly surprised at the news. They probably didn't expect and entire book series written on them, shared with the world.

"What do you know about our Gilan?" asked Will, making small gestured at the two cloaked men. I suppose they mean the Gilan in their Rangers group.

"Uh…" Elizabeth seemed lost for words, unable to describe what she means without seeming to offend/ creep out the other two. So I filled in for her.

"She means that there happened to be a book series on you guys," Elizabeth whipped out her trusty book bag, and dug out book ten. I continued. "And you seemed to come from in there. How, we have no idea, but you did."

There were unmistakable questions in the men's eyes. Will reached for the book. Seeing the cover image, he let out a yelp.

"Hey! This was when we were in Nihon-Ja!" There was more than a little surprise his voice. Annnnndddd… I still didn't know what happened. I haven't even read book ten, dammit. But, true to his words, the cover page showed some random samurai trying to behead the readers.

… I'm still on book five…

Regardless of my silent musing on the books in my possession, the rangers were staring at the book, flipping through it. With hysterically amusing facial expressions.

I tried my hardest not to laugh. And failed.

The instant I let out the tiniest of my giggles, every eye in the room swung to me. Elizabeth's, the rangers', and my mom's. Hooray. I must admit, it was quite unsettling. Even the dogs were staring at me now. I (somewhat desperately) stifled my laughter, subconsciously retreating a step to the door under their semi-hostile gazes.

"What's so funny?" asked my mother. At least she wasn't offended. I couldn't say the same to the rangers. Both of their expressions were indifferent. They were back reading the book.

"Nothing," I hurried to say. To hopefully change the subject, I added a question,

"How did you guys come here I the first place?" I asked the rangers. Elizabeth seemed to be calling someone on the phone.

"We… we don't know," replied the younger one. "We just… sort of woke here…" Well, that wasn't very helpful. But then, things rarely were.

"Is anyone else here?" asked my mom. I suppose it made sense, as if they didn't camp out in the woods nearby, they'll probably end up staying here. Our house can't fit more than two more people after them, unless they share a room.

Yeah… our house is big. Ish.

"No, not yet," the rangers answered. However, they still seemed ill at ease. Not that I blame them, waking up in a completely strange place. I looked back at Elizabeth. She was snapping her phone shut. Dimly, I wondered what that was about. So I voiced the question.

"Hey, Elizabeth. Whacha doing over there?" She looked up at me, seeming to just realize that she was in plain sight, and I could actually see her. Hastily, she answered.

"Ah… Nothing special. Just making a call to Gilan…" Ah. I should've guessed. Those two are like best friends. Kinda strange, if you think about it, since one is all serious-like and the other's all laid-back and not worrying what-so-ever.

"Making a call…?" asked Will. Now I think I know what Halt means when he said that Will asked many questions…

Lucky, saving me from more talking, Elizabeth piped in. "They came from 'the past', you know. There wasn't phones back then!" she whispered in my ear. I stared blankly at her. I must admit that I never realized the kind of shock they must be experiencing, with all the new technology. Great. I'll have to explain all that to them later.

My mom, however, doesn't seem to have such misgivings. "Why, it's just that she was using an electronic device called a cellular phone, abbreviated in to cell phone. The cell phone is a smaller, more portable version of the phone, a device…" I could see the confusion growing on the two's faces. My mom always got somewhat technical when it comes to things like this.

"Wait wait wait wait," I injected before any more confusing things happened, "The phone is just like being able to talk to someone over distances, like shouting, except you use normal voices…" I hope my explanation was friendlier to the mind.

My mom looked a little flustered at my interruption. However, it seems to have done its job, as the two rangers were now slowly nodding their heads, looking at the small device. It seems as if my mother just noticed the clothing the two are wearing, and a small frown crossed her face. Just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared.

The two rangers seemed to be engrossed in the phone, asking to press this button then the next. I looked at the time.

"9:45" I said. Wow, that was pretty late into the morning. I walked/shuffled over to the toaster, and set about making me some toast.

"Well then," my mom said, with a big smile across her features. "Eat up. Afterwards, we're going shopping for some clothes,"

…

Great. Did I say that my mom acts more like a teenager than a mother? If I didn't, I'm warning you now.

**A/N Constructive critism and plot ideas welcome! I just realized that I didn't have a plot planned out for this at all. Oops.**


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